East Africa

East Africa

A growing population and the increasing use of marginal lands have led to serious land and ecosystem degradation in many parts of the Blue Nile Basin in East Africa. We work to promote land, soil and ecosystem restoration in existing and emerging national and regional processes and investments. Our research promotes improved governance for equitable and sustainable management of infrastructure and ecosystems; delivery of more healthy landscapes and ecosystem services for productive economies and food security; and capacity enhancement and professional development.

Soil carbon

Our soils are capable of sequestering atmospheric carbon in the form of soil organic carbon. This is not only good for agricultural productivity, providing crops with healthier soils, but it also contributes to reducing the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, thereby helping to reduce the impacts to climate change. A great deal of work has been done in East Africa to find appropriate interventions and investments to improve soil carbon sequestration.

While some soils currently do not sequester carbon, it doesn’t mean they can’t in the future. All soils have the potential to sequester carbon if we can establish the right practices to do so within a given context.

By Georgina Smith of CIAT. New maps show massive potential to store more carbon in farmland soils through better management practices, contributing to global emission reduction targets. The amount of carbon stored in the top 30 centimeters of the soil could increase an extra 0.9 to 1.85 gigatons each year, say authors of a new study published today in Scientific Reports.

December 5th is World Soil Day. Rising temperatures are triggering carbon loss in areas with high carbon stocks. CIAT is looking at how to reverse this and how soils can even help sequester more carbon from the atmosphere.

In recent years, carbon sequestration has gained tremendous momentum and national and international initiatives have been taken up. But as to exactly how much of this carbon can be mopped up through sequestration is up to debate.

Watershed management

Equitable water use between the countries of the East African region is a hot topic that flares up from time to time. In order to ensure that every sector has the quantity and quality of water that they need, smart and cooperative water management must be a priority, especially in the agricultural sector.

June 20th is World Refugee Day. In Northern Uganda, South Sudanese refugees are living in settlements with insecure water supplies. How can effective water management help improve the uncertain lives and futures of refugee and host communities?

From IUCN Water. The Tana River, Kenya's Liveline. The Tana, Kenya's longest river, flows for over 1,000 kms with a catchment area of 95,000 km² (roughly the size of Portugal). The River Basin has significant development opportunities for hydropower, domestic water provision, and irrigation - planned as part of Kenya's Vision for 2030.

If we utilize our water better upstream, what will happen downstream? Will water availability decrease? Is watershed improvement a zero-sum game with the gains upstream deducted from the situation downstream, or is it an overall system improvement? Or if we take a broader view of water-related ecosystems services, how does more intense upstream water use have an impact on all relevant ecosystem services in the entire area? Who are the winners and who are the losers? Frank van Steenbergen, Tesfa-alem Gebreegziabher Embaye and Eyasu Hagos take a crack at answering these questions.

Did you receive roses for Valentine's Day? If so, they may have come from the Kenya, the 4th largest supplier of cut flowers in the world. Originally from the CIAT Blog, this piece looks at work done in the Tana Basin to ensure good management of land and water resources make sure this industry can continue.

Land and soil health

Land and soil are the literal bedrock on which agricultural productivity is built, but a great deal of land in East Africa is degraded due to overuse and poor practices. WLE is working with farmers and governments to ensure the longevity and sustainability of agricultural land use to support food security and livelihoods in the region.

Soil is a vital part of the natural environment. It supports the growth of plants, is a habitat for many different organisms and is at the heart of nearly all agricultural production. It also plays an integral role in countless other ecosystem services like water and climate regulation.

Scientists and government officials are collaborating with communities to test out new approaches to reversing land degradation—methods that might have potential to change the status of the entire highlands region from vastly degraded to successfully restored.

For over 40 years as an international soil scientist, I have been hearing more and more what I call “The Soil Scientists’ Lament” – the cry that “soils are neglected”, “soils are under-valued”, “inaction on soil degradation is costing hundreds of billions of dollars per year”, “but those who make public policy are not listening to us”.

The latest episode of the Thrive podcast takes a close look at the ground beneath our feet. Soil, on which terrestrial life depends, is often ignored precisely because it is everywhere and yet invisible.

Can sub-Saharan Africa feed itself: This is a question that has been asked for decades, but no satisfying answer has been found up to now - and is unlikely to be found in the near to medium term future. Why?

Lazurko, Anita. 2019. Assessing the value of resource recovery and reuse: social, environmental and economic costs and benefits for value creation and human well-being. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).. 41p. (Resource Recovery and Reuse Series 13) doi: 10.5337/2018.229